The Sixties in Ireland was time of rapid change, when the country saw economic growth, the introduction of free post-primary education, the launch of RTÉ television, all to the fresh new sound of the showbands.  With less emigration and increased employment in the industrial sector, people started to have more disposal income.  However, farmers weren’t feeling the effects of the boom.

By the mid 1960s falling farm incomes and a belief that agriculture was losing ground to industry, resulted in the farmers taking protests to the streets.  Many countrywide demonstrations followed, including in Athlone, where farmers blockaded the town’s bridge, in a move of defiance against the powers of the time.

Against this backdrop, Joe Flynn was a lead singer with The Saints Showband, based in Co. Westmeath. Joe came up with the idea of recording a song about this major current affair.  The song was called, ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ and was set to a new arrangement of ‘Dan O’Hara’, an old Delia Murphy number.  Joe’s wife, Mary Flynn, who was a member of the McHale traditional music family from Tulsk, Co. Roscommon, was asked to write the lyrics of the song, which The Saints recorded.

When Joe's band, The Saints, toured the US in 1967, they brought their new record with them.  This was a ploy that worked, resulting in ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ being played on US radio, a rare feat in those days.  The band hoped that this song could now put them into the big league of Irish showbands, and their record company felt sure of a No. 1 hit.

On returning home, after the US radio airplay of ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’, The Saints Showband shot to national and international prominence.  The British newspapers, ‘The Daily Express’, ‘The Daily Mirror’ and others became interested in the band, and sought out interviews with The Saints and Mary Flynn.  But whilst the song promised much success, there was a delay in its commercial release. As time went on, the song got little airplay here in Ireland and then disappeared.  The question is why?

Joe Flynn and his wife Mary, have always believed the song was banned by the government of the day and RTÉ Radio due to the fact that it was seen to be sympathetic to the cause of the farmers.

These days, Joe at the age of 84 is still playing music with his old time danceband, Showcase.  But he and Mary sometimes wonder about what might have been.  Could ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ have been a No. 1 record? 

Growing up, Joe’s nephew, David Flynn, had always heard stories about ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’.  Now in 2016, the year of the 50th anniversary of the historic Farmers’ Rights Campaign, David has decided to find out the story of what really happened.  Could the answer lie in the corridors of RTÉ?  Was the song really banned?

This documentary pieces together the farmers’ stories of the time – of protest, rock bottom prices, and a government stand-off.  It also brings Joe and Mary Flynn into the heart of RTÉ and the famous ‘Studio 8’ where they record a brand new version of ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ accompanied by The Camembert Quartet (aka The Late Late Show House Band). 

Almost 50 years after the song was written, Joe Flynn finally gets to perform ‘The Broken Hearted Farmer’ on RTÉ Radio, broadcast to all corners of Ireland and right across the globe. 

Contributors include Joe and Mary Flynn, Dick and Zita O'Brien, Mary O'Rourke, PJ McEvilly, John Bowman, Michael and Patti Macken, Breda Hogan, Brendan Balfe, Pat Watson, Peter Keighery, and The Camembert Quartet.

The 2016 version of 'The Broken Hearted Farmer' song was performed and arranged by The Camembert Quartet, with Joe Flynn on vocals.

Narrated by David Flynn

Produced by David Flynn and Sarah Blake

Additional recordings and video production by Ronan Kelly

Sound Supervision by Tom Norton and Damien Chennelles

First Broadcast on Saturday 23rd July 2016 at 1pm
Repeated on Sunday 24th July 2016 at 7pm

An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries.